Women's tennis boasts 10-5 record at Ivy Invitational

With the fall season of play drawing to a close, the women's tennis team participated in the Ivy Invitational over this past weekend at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, NY.

Sixteen teams took part in the tournament, including all the Ivies aside from Yale as well as such tough competitors as Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Washington. Despite a rainy Sunday, the team went out with great determination and achieved great success in their endeavors, with a singles record of 7-3 and a doubles record of 3-2 for the day.

The format of the tournament was one of flighted draws for both singles and doubles. Each team competing in the tournament had about two players in each flight from A through D. Princeton sent 10 players to the tournament this weekend, with three players remaining at home.

Senior co-captain Jackie Arcario called the tournament "a huge success . . . We all went out there, played a ton of matches and tried our hearts out. Everyone looked great out there, demonstrating that our more intense fall workouts have paid off."

Head coach Louise Gengler '75 agreed.

"We did well, winning some and losing some," Gengler said. "The level of play was very high, so we learned a lot. Our doubles teams have been doing much better later on in the fall play."

Arcario played in flight C singles and B doubles. She won her first match against a seeded player from Penn State 6-4, 6-7, winning 10-7 in a third set tiebreak. She lost her second match to a Cornell player 7-6, 6-7, losing 10-6 in a third set tiebreak, and lost her third singles match to a player from Michigan 6-2, 6-3.

Arcario said that, despite the losses, she fought hard in her matches and was happy with how she played.

"Even though I lost the third match I felt as though I played the best in that final match that I have all fall," Arcario said.

Sophomore Jessica Siebel also knocked off a seeded player in one of her singles matches, while senior co-captain Vanti Bhargava won two consecutive main-draw matches in the D flight.

"I am extremely happy with how the team played," Bhargava said. "Aside from being stronger and fitter than we were at the beginning of the year, the players have really grown into team members. The team is so cohesive and incredible."

Still, the long weekend took its toll on the team, according to sophmore Rankin Williams.

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"Everyone played well but got really sore by the third matches," Williams said.

The fall season is coming to a close, but the team is looking forward to the upcoming regional tournament. Sophomore Ali Hashmall will be representing Princeton in singles at the tournament, while Bhargava and senior co-captain Alex Kobishyn hope to play for Princeton in doubles.

Hashmall missed the last round of play as she has been recovering from tendonitis in her knee. The upcoming regional tournament is the most difficult on the schedule, and Princeton hopes to send four players to these matches. The Tigers will find out later this week who from their team will get in.

The team lost two of its top players last year, yet the women have come together and are all exhibiting great potential in the upcoming year. The lineup will not be fully determined until the spring, but Hashmall is looking to move into the No. 1 singles position, up from No. 3 last year. Robertson has also demonstrated her ability to do well in the flight A singles, posting great results against top one and two players.

"We have a great deal of depth and a very evenly balanced team," Gengler said.

As the fall season comes to a close, the Tigers are looking forward to its spring matches.

"Now that [the team] is done for the fall, [we've got] just hopes for a good spring," Williams said.

Williams' teammate agreed.

"I think that this tournament really pumped us up for the upcoming spring season," Arcario said. "We are a team with incredible depth both in singles and doubles, and I feel confident that we are among the best within the Ivies. I am extremely proud of how well we did this weekend and even more proud to be a part of such an incredibly talented team."